Vehicle signal light circuit



July 31, 1951 J. R. HOLLINS VEHICLE SIGNAL LIGHT CIRCUIT Filed April 20, 1948 FLASHER '0 5 WIRE all A.

/ L I GHT 22 FE RESISTANCE 10 Patented July 31, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,562,272 VEHICLE SIGNAL LIGHT CIRCUIT J esse' R. Ho'llins, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application April '20, 1948, Serial No. 22,070

4 Claims. (C1. 177-339) This invention relates to lighting circuits including pilot or indicator lamps and, more particularly, to such a circuit involving differential current flow over a pair of circuits.

The invention is particularly applicable to lighting circuits for vehicles, such as directional lampcircuits for automotive vehicles. Such circuits include a source of current and a direction-indication selector switch arranged to connect directional indicating lamps to the source. Pilot or indicator lamps are frequently mounted on the vehicle dashboard to act as tell-tales, and flashers are sometimes incorporated in the circuit to emphasize the indications.

In accordance with the present invention, pilot or indicating lamps are so connected to a directional lamp circuit as to intermittently flash off and onto act as tell-tales for the directional lamps. A directional switch is employed to selectively connect the directional lamps to a current source, such as an automotive storage battery.

Two current paths are provided between the source and the switch. One of these paths is alow resistance path including a flasher operated by a resistance wire. The other path is a high resistance path including the pilot or indicator lamps. The resistance wire is connected between a flasher contact and the switch.

The difierence in resistance of the two paths is such that substantially all the current flows 1 through the flasher to the switch, and only a small amount flows through the pilot lamp. With the flasher contacts closed, the current flow through the pilot lamps is insufficient to illuminate these lamps.

The flasher is spring-biased to open, and normally held closed by the resistance wire. The current flow through this wire heats itto increase its length. This allows the flasher to normally higher resistance path the pilot or open, breaking the low resistance path to the switch. Current then flows to the switch through the pilot lamps until the resistance wire cools sufficiently to reclose the flasher. Failure of the pilot lamps to flash indicates an inoperative condition of the apprising the vehicle operator of this fact.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel lighting circuit including" intermittently illuminated circuit condition indicator or pilot lamp means.

Another object is to provide such a circuit including a pair of differing resistance current.

to effect intermittent flow between such paths with means operat've alternation of the current paths.

5 directional lamp circ A further object is to provide a novel directional lamp system for automotive vehicles.

'These, and other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying' drawing. In the drawing, the single figure schematically indicates the application of the invention to a directional lamp arrangement for automotive vehicles.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is illustrated as incorporated in a vehicle signalling system, such a directional indicator arrangement for automotive vehicles.

As shown, directional lamps I0, 20, 3E! and 40 are shown as selectively energizable, in pairs, from a current source 58 through a flasher 60 and a selector switch iii. A pilot or indicating lamp i5 is associated with signal lamps l0 and 20, and a pilot lamp 35 with signal lamps 30 and 40.

Sourceill may be an automotive type storage battery grounded at 5| and connected through a main control switch 53 (which may be the vehicle ignition switch) and a fuse 52 to the directional signal circuits at a junction point 55. From junction point 55, the current from source to switch ll] divides to flow over two paths, one of which normally has a much higher resistance than the other. The normally lower resistance path includes the flasher Bi), and the indicator lamps l5 and 35.

The flasher element is preferably of the snap action type and as schematically illustrated in perspective on the left of the drawing, comprises a metallic plate 60, having integral therewith the respective ends of switch blades 6!, 62 and 63, said switch blades being in spaced parallel alignment and having sufficient rigidity to move with plate 6|] as it is displaced. Flasher plate 60 is mounted in an insulation support 56, the ends of which are in the form of stub shafts rockable in supports 51. Plate 66 is in electrical connection with junction point 55.

Arms 6|, 62', 63 normally engage contacts 66, 6'1, 68, respectively. Insulating supports 55 is indicated as pivotally mounted on a support 51, and a tension spring 58 normally biases plate 60 to swing counter-clockwise to disengage the contact arms 61, 62, 63 from contacts 65, 61, 68. Such counter-clockwise movement normally is restrained, and the contact arms maintained engaged, by a resistance wire 65 insulatingly mounted for non-conductive connection between plate 60 and a fixed point 59. Wire 65 may be any suitable resistance wire, but is preferably a Nichrome wire. When the wire lengthens, due to heating by current flow therethrough, spring 58 swings plate 60 to open the flasher.

The selective switch 10 comprises an insulating base H and an oscillatable double-sector shaped arm 12 pivoted on the base. Base H has an outer row of contacts H, l2, 2|, 3!, 32 and 4|, and inner diametrically aligned contacts l3, M. Contacts ll, 2|, 3! and GI are connected, respectively, to one terminal of lamps I0, 20, 3E! and 40, and the other terminals of those lamps are grounded. A conductor l6 connects contact [2 to flasher contact 65, and a conductor l1 connects contact 32 to flasher contact 68. Flasher contact 6'! is connected by a conductor [8 to one end of resistance wire 65, and a conductor I9 connects the other end of the resistance wire to switch contact [3.

Sector arm 72 carries, at either outer end, arcuate conductor strips 13 and 74. Near its center, arm l2 carries an incompletely annular conductor strip 76. Strip 13 is arranged, upon operation of switch 78, to electrically connect contact l2 to either contact I! or contact 2|. Similarly, strip I i selectively connects contact 32 to either of the contacts 3! or 4H. Strip l continuously engages contact [4, which is grounded at Hi, and electrically connects contact I i to contact l3 whenever switch I! is operated. It will be noted that a conductor 22 connects junction point 55 to junction point 23. This latter point is connected to one terminal of each pilot or indicator lamp I5, 35, and the other terminals of these lamps are connected, either directly or through conductors It" or ll, to contacts 52 and 32, respectively.

The operation of the system is as follows: Assuming that switch 53 is closed and switch l'El has been operated to swing arm .2 counter-clockwise, current will flow from source 50 to junction point 55. Strip 13 will connect contacts I! and i2, strip '14 contacts ii and 32 and strip 76 contacts l3 and I i.

At junction point 55, there are two paths for current to flow through switch It? and lamps It] and ii! to ground. The first path includes flasher Eli, particularly arms GI, 53, contacts 66, 58 and conductors i6, i1 and thence to lamps l0 and 40. Also included in the first path are arm 62, contact 57, conductor is, resistance wire 65, conductor 19, contacts !5, i4 and strip 15. Because of its several branches, this first path between junction point 55 and switch contacts l2, l3 and 32 is a relatively low resistance path.

The second path between point 55 and switch includes conductor 22, junction point 23 and the relatively high resistance pilot or indicator lamps I5, Due to the high resistance of this second path as compared to the low resistance of the first path, substantially all of the current flows to switch it through flasher Eli, and the current flow through pilot lamps i5, 35 is insuflicient to illuminate these lamps.

The current thus flows through flasher 68, conductors It, i? and switch Hi to illuminate lamps l0 and it}. At the same time, current flows through flasher arm 62, contact 61, conductor 1-8, resistance wire 65, conductor l9, contact I3, strip 16 and contact I :3 to ground 77. The current through resistance wire 55 heats the latter, causing it to lengthen. This allows spring 58 to swing support 55 counter-clockwise, eventually disengaging contact arms BI, 62, 63 from contacts 66, 61, 88, respectively. In practice, such disengagement would be a snap action effect.

This disengagement breaks or opens the first, or low resistance current path, between point 55 and switch 10. Consequently, all the current now flows over the second path including pilot lamps l5 and 35, illuminating the latter. After a short time interval, wire 65 cools sufiiciently to re-close flasher 60, extinguishing pilot lamps l5 and 35. Should either pilot lamp IE or 35 fail to light when flasher 50 opens, it indicates circuit trouble for either pair of directional lamps I0, 20 or 30, 40. Thus, the intermittent flashing of pilot lamps I5, 35, which may be mounted on the vehicle dashboard, indicates an operative condition of the directional lamp circuits. The same effect takes place when sector arm 72 is swung clockwise to energize lamps 2B and 39.

Although flasher plate 65 has been illustrated in the drawing as being a metallic conductor, it is within the province of this invention to provide a rockable insulator block as a mounting for horizontally spaced and aligned switch blades 5i, *5? and 53 with each such blade being electrically connected at their points of mounting to junction 55; the wire 65 being connected directly to the insulator block at its upper extremity; the insulating block being mounted for pivotal movegnent on a support and biased by a tension spring The described circuit arrangement provides a novel lighting system operating on current difi-erentials to flash pilot or indicator lamps to advise the vehicle operator of the operative or inoperative condition of the directional light circuits. The arrangement is simple and compact, and involves only a change in the wiring between the usual components of such system, plus the addition of a relatively few circuit components.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the principles thereof, it will be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

l. A vehicle signal light circuit comprising, in combination, a, source of electric current; signal lamps energizable from said source; a switch selectively operable to control the energization of said signal lamps; a high resistance current path and a low resistance current path extending in parallel between said source and said switch; said high resistance path being in continuous circuit connection between said source and said switch and including indicator lamps for and in series with said signal lamps, and substantially all the current for said signal lamps flowing through said low resistance path upon closure of said switch; a normally closed circuit breaker in said low resistance path; and means in said low resistance circuit operable periodically to open said circuit breaker, whereby all the current will flow through the high resistance path to energize said indicator lamps.

A vehicle signal light circuit comprising, in combination, a source of electric current; signal lamps energizable from said source; a switch selectively operable to control the energization of said signal lamps; a high resistance current path and a low resistance current path extending in parallel between said source and said switch; said high resistance path being in continuous circuit connection between said source and said switch and including indicator lamps for and in series with said signal lamps, and substantially all the current for said signal lamps flowing high resistance path to energize said indicator lamps.

3. A vehicle signal light circuit comprising, in

combination, a source of electric current; signal lamps energizable from said source; a switch selectively operable to control the energization of said signal lamps; a high resistance current path and a low resistance current path extending in parallel between said source and said switch; said high resistance path being in continuous circuit connection between said source and said switch and includin indicator lamps for and in series with said signal lamps, and substantially all the current for said signal lamps flowing through said low resistance path upon closure of said switch; a normally closed circuit breaker in said low resistance path; and current flow responsive means operable periodically to open said circuit breaker, whereby all the current will flow through the high resistance path to energize said indicator lamps; said circuit breaker controlling the current flow through said responsive means. i

4. A vehicle signal light circuit comprising, in combination, a source of electric current; signal lamps energizable from said source; a switch selectively operable to control the energization of said signal lamps; a high resistance current path and a low resistance current path extending in parallel between said source and said switch; said high resistance path being in continuous circuit connection between said source and said switch and including indicator lamps for and in series with said signal lamps, and substantially all the current for said signal lamps flowing through said'low resistance path upon closure of said switch; a circuit breaker in said low resistance path; means biasing said circuit breaker to open; a resistance wire normally restraining opening of said circuit breaker; and circuit means connecting said Wire in series between said circuit breaker and said switch, said resistance wire expanding, when heated by current flow therethrough, to provide for said biasing means to open said circuit breaker whereby all the current will flow through the high resistance path to energize said indicator lamps; said wire contracting upon cooling, to re-clcse said circuit breaker.

JESSE R. HOLLINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record In the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,141,210 Foulks Dec. 27, 1938 2,321,803 Folge et al June 15, 1943 2,358,332 Kennett I Sept. 19, 1944 

